Loader-controlling means for concrete mixers



April 9, 1929. G. JAEGER 1,

' LOADER CONTROLLING MEANS FOR CONCRETE MIXERS Filed July 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 GEBHARDJAEGER April 9, 1929.

G. JAEGER LOADER CONTROLLING MEANS FOR CONCRETE MIXERS Filed July 31, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 18 ,m if 45 45 22 v u 29 l 2i 3.9 v

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fiwwwm GEBHARD JAEGER A4; Q blxwswqo Patented Apr. 9, 1929.

UNITED STATES GEIBHARD JAEGER, 0F COLUMBUS, OHIO.

LOADER-CONTROLLING MEANS FOR CONCRETE MIXERS.

Application filed July 31,

The invention relates more especially to the type of concrete mixers in which is employed a mixing drum rotated on an axis and oscillated on a bearing back and forth from charging to discharging 2681131011 and conversely. To charge such a drum it now common to employ a bucket that is lowered to the ground or filling position and elevated to discharge the contents into the mixing drum, engine power being used to elevate the bucket to the last described position, gravity, controlled by a brake, being utilized to lower the bucket to its ground position. 4

The principal object of the invention is to provide improved means for automatically stopping the ascent of the loader bucket at its discharging position and thereby prevent injury to the machine or parts thereof due to the failure or neglect of the workmen to stop the hoisting operation at the proper moment. Other objects will appear from the disclosure herein.

The invention is embodied. in the example herein shown and described, the features of novelty being finally claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the machine according to the invention, some of the parts being omitted for the sake of clearness.

Fig. 2 is an elevation on a larger scale broken out and looking toward the right Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail on the scale of Fig. 1 but on the line IIIIII Fig. 2 looking to the left and with the supporting frame broken out at its upper end.

Fig. 4 is a detail of the brake drum and brake band.

In the views 5 designates the mixing vessel which is mounted in a suitable frame 6 to rotate on an axis in a yoke 7 and to oscillate from charging position to discharging position on a pair of trunnions like that shown at 8.

9 designates a bucket for charging the mixing vessel with the materials gravel, sand and cementto be mixed. Said bucket 9 is pivoted by means of bracket arms 10 and 10 to the lower end of a link frame 11, the upper end of said link frame being hung on a horizontal shaft 12 in themain frame 6. The arm 10 has lug 10 thereon to be referred to hereinafter.

The means for raising the 1928. Serial N0. 126,133.

mixing vessel charging position (as shown by broken lines Fig. 1) includes a pair of cables 13 attached to theouter end of the bucket, said cables being attached to and winding upon and unwinding from a pair of spools 14:, 141, on a horizontal shaft 15 journaled in the top of the frame 6.

The shaft 15 driven to wind up the cables 13 by means of a sprocket wheel 16 engaged by an endless sprocket chain 17 extending to a suitable engine (not shown) for driving it in one direction as is well understood and as is now very common practice. The sprocket wheel 16 is mounted loose on. the shaft 15 and is capable ofslight movement laterally thereon. Said sprocket wheel 16 has a. lateral rimv portion 1t? formed therewith that constitutes the male part of a clutching device. Fixed on the shaft 15 by means of a set screw 18 is a rimmed wheel 19 constituting the female part of the clutching device so that when the male part 1G is engaged therewith the shaft 15 is rotated to wind the cables 13 on the spools and thus elevate the bucket. Between the aforesaid male and female parts on the clutching device are springs 20 tending to press the male portion from the female portion. The movement of the male part 16 toward the female part 19 is very slight; and the proper position of the female part in relation to the male part can be accurately determined and fixed by means of a beveled end on a take-up collar 21 at the end of the hub of the female part engaging a pin 22 on the shaft 15. By releasing the set screw 18 in the hub of the female part and set screw 21 in the take-up collar and turning the latter in one direction or the other the female part can be shifted laterally toward or from the male part as far as deemed necessary and said parts relixed to the shaft 15 by resetting said set screws 18 and 21. It may therciiore,.be observed that if the male part 16 of the clutch device be intermittently laterally shifted into engagement with the female part the shaft 15 will be intermittently rotated in one direction, and that between such intermittent rotations the shaft 15 is free to turn in the opposite direction to provide for the lowering of the bucket as hereinafter explained.

After the bucket has beenclevated and the shaft 15 released as just described or just at the time it is released it is important that braking in ms be ii-sided to preventvio lent precipitation of the bucket to the gro md. Such means includes a brake wheel 24 secured to the shaft near the end thereof opposite that containing the clutching device, and a brake strap 25 that lies on the rim of the drum and has its ends connected with two eccentric points of a strap actuator 26, said actuator being secured on a horizontal rock shaft 27 mounted in the frame 6 and extending through said frame. The shaft 27 has at one end a crank arm 2'? by means of which it and the strap actuator 26 can be operated in one direction to apply the brake strap 25 and thereby retard the rotation of the shaft 15 when the latter is released to lower the bucket. Connecting said crank arm 27 and the upper end of the frame is a coil spring 29 tending to hold the brake strap in applied position when said arm is swung to carr sai d spring 29 to a line to the left of the line of the axis of the shaft 27 as viewed in Fig. 1. When the arm 27 is swung to bring the spring 29 to a line at the right of the line of the axis of the shaft the brake strap 25 is released from operation on the brake drum. According to. my invention the brake strap is fully released manually by the attendant when engaging the clutch members and applied auto1natically, but is subject to control manually when the bucket is being lowered as will hereinafter appear.

Fixedion the shaft 27 is a cr hnk arm 30 and fixedly secured to. the stationary shaft 12 is a bracket arm. 31 and connecting these two. arms are coupled links 32 and 33, the lower link 33 being provided with an adjustable lug 34. Fixed to the end of the shaft 27 opposite that having the lever arm 2T is a crank arm 35 connected by a link 36 with a yielding portion 37 on an arm 37 of a sleeve 38 rocking on shaft 15, one. end of said sleeve pressing the male member of the clutch device, and the other end thereof having a spiral cam form to cooperate with a COIHPlGIHGDfEUI. spiral end on a stationary sleeve 15m... to the frame (5 so that when the. sleeve. 38 is rocked; in one. direction it pushes the male clutch member into operating engagement with the femaleclutch member; and, when rocked in the opposite direction permits the. release of said male clutch member from the female member by reason of the pressure of the springs 2.0; The connection of the. link 36 with the arnr 37 is made by means of a bolt 10 and nut 41, the nut 41-1 eing set to allow lateral play of the sleeve on the shaft 15. The arm 37 has at its inner end a bearing in a rounded socket of the arm 37 and is pressed, by a spring 42 under a nut on a bolt 43: extended through both arms. This last described yieldingconnection of the link 36 with the arm 37f permits among. other advantages an operation of the brake lever after disengagement of the male clutch member from the female clutch member to permit application of the brake in checking the descent of the bucket, and a yielding engagement of the clutch member when the crank arm 35 is raised to compress the spring 42.

The inner rim of the brake drum is provided with ratchet teeth 14 (Fig. 4-.) to be engaged by a latch member 1-5 pivoted at the top of the frame 6 so as to hold. the bucket in elevated position when the outfit is to be transported or stored. To do this the bucket is first raised to full elevated position by the operation of the shaft 15 and the attached cables and. the latch turned to engage one of the teeth 44L thereby preventing the shaft and its spools from turning in the direction to lower the. bucket.

The operation is as follows: \{Vhen working the engine drives the shaft 15 by means of the belt 17 with a constant motion in one direction. Assuming the mixing vessel to be in the position shown in Fig. 1 ready for charging and the bucket on the ground supplied with the. materials to be mixed, the handle 27* is moved; to the position shown in full lines Fig. 1 thereby effecting the engagement of the clutch members 16. and 16:- and causing the shaft 15 to rotate to wind up the cables 13 and; hoist the bucket to its discharging position shown by broken lines Fig. 1. Before the bucket has arrived at said last described position the lug 10? on the arm 10 str k s he is 3. er by thr ng th a 83 and 32 to the left torock the shaft 27 sufiiciently to, throw the arm 27" across the line of the aegis of shaft 27 and thus apply the brake. strap to. the. brake drum and also to disengage the male clutch member from the female clutch member. The bucket remains in this discharging position until the attendant slightly releases the brake by throwing the lever 27 toward but not to the full; line position Fig. 1 whereupon the bucket falls to the ground by gravity but under; the control; of the. attendant who manipulates the brake in intermediate position to apply suflicient brakingforce to pre vent its violent precipitation. The opera tion described can, of course, be repeated as often as desired, the mixing. vessel being discharged; in the intervals between such operations. The advantage of this construction isthat the rise. of the. bucket is automatically (or without requiring attention. of the attendant) stopped at its. discharging position thus preventing the otherwise possible parting. of the cables and the destruction of other parts of the machine. 7

The forms of the parts can be changed without departing from the gist of the in vention as claimed.

that I- claim is:

1. In combination with a mixing vessel, a loader bucket therefor and means for hoisting the bucket to charge the mixing vessel including a power driven shaft, cables connecting said shaft and bucket, clutch means for the power driven shaft and a yielding rockable actuating cam sleeve therefor, braking means for the shaft, means for manually effecting the engagement of said clutch means, and means for automatically releasing said clutch means and applying said braking means when the bucket approaches its discharging position, said braking means operable to apply braking pressure in the released position of said clutch means.

2. In combination with a mixing vessel, a loader bucket therefor and means for hoisting the bucket to charge the mixing vessel including a power driven shaft, cables connecting said shaft and bucket, clutch means for the power shaft and a yielding rockable actuating cam sleeve therefor, braking means for the shaft, manual means common to the clutch means and braking means for actuating said clutch means and braking means operated by the rising bucket whereby when the bucket approaches its discharging position the clutch means is automatically released and the brake applied.

3. In combination with a mixing vessel, a loader bucket therefor and means for hoisting the bucket to charge the mixing vessel including a power driven shaft, cables connecting said shaft and bucket, clutch means for the power shaft and an actuating cam sleeve therefor, braking means for the shaft including a brake drum thereon and strap therefor, manual means common to the clutch means and braking means for actuating said clutch means and braking means operated by the rising bucket whereby when the bucket approaches its discharge position the clutch means is automatically released and the brake applied.

4. In combination with a mixing vessel, a loader bucket therefor and means for hoisting the bucket to charge the mixing vessel including a power driven shaft, cables connecting said shaft and bucket, clutch means for the power shaft and an actuating cam sleeve therefor, said cam having yielding operating means, braking means for the shaft including a brake drum thereon and strap therefor, manual means common to the clutch means and braking means for actuating said clutch means and braking means operated by the rising bucket whereby when the bucket approaches its discharging position the clutch means is automatically released and the brake applied.

GEBHARD J AEGER. 

